What you are mastering, in plain English
An article is a small word that limits a noun: the points to something known or unique, a or an introduces something new or one of many, and the zero article means no article before a noun when we speak generally or use set expressions. A determiner is the wider family that includes articles plus words like this, that, each, every, some, any, many, much. Generic reference means talking about a whole class, not one item. Institutional use means nouns like school or hospital without the when we refer to the main function of the place.

The four quick decisions

1. Known or new
   Known to the reader or unique in the world. Use the. New to the discussion or one of many. Use a or an.

• New: I bought a phone yesterday.
• Known: The phone has a great camera.

1. Specific or general
   Specific item. Use the. General class. Use plural or uncountable with zero article, or a generic form.

• General plural: Cars cause congestion.
• General uncountable: Education reduces inequality.
• Generic singular: The tiger is endangered or tigers are endangered.

1. Head word or modifier does the pointing
   When a noun has a post-modifier that identifies it, use the. A post-modifier is a phrase or clause after the noun that narrows its meaning.

• The policy that reduced fees was popular.
• The report on air quality needs revision.

1. Fixed expressions and institutional use
   Zero article in set phrases and core functions.

• Meals and transport: have breakfast, go by bus.
• Home and work base: at home, at work, in class.
• Institutions as functions: at school means attending as a student. At the school means the building.

A or an: by sound, not spelling

Use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound.

• a university (yoo sound), an MBA (em sound).
• a European study, an hour.

The with geography and uniqueness

Use the with rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges, deserts, and plural or descriptive country names.

• the Ganges, the Bay of Bengal, the Alps, the Sahara, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the United Kingdom.
  No article with most single-word countries and lakes.
• Bangladesh, Japan, Lake Victoria.
  Unique things take the: the sun, the internet, the climate.

Superlatives, ordinals, and groups

Use the before superlatives and ordinal numbers.

• the highest peak, the first step.
  Adjectives as groups: the rich, the elderly. These act like plural nouns.

Data wording for Task 1

• Use the when the noun is anchored by a time or group: the figure for 2020, the share of rural households.
• Use zero article for labels that act as categories: sales rose in Q3.
• Use a or an when you introduce one instance among many: a modest rise, an outlier.

Two worked examples

Example 1: Generic vs specific
Weak: The technology reduces poverty.
Fix 1 generic: Technology reduces poverty when access is broad.
Fix 2 specific: The technology introduced last year reduces poverty in Dhaka wards.

Example 2: Institutional use
Weak: My sister is in the hospital because she works there.
Fix: My sister is in hospital as a patient. She works at the hospital in Mirpur.

Mini case — Imran in Dhaka

Problem: Imran wrote the in front of abstract and plural general nouns and lost concision.
Intervention: He ran a two-week highlight drill. In every draft he marked all articles, then removed the if the noun was plural or uncountable in a general statement, and added the if a post-modifier made the noun specific.
Result: Article errors dropped from 12 to 3 per 300 words. His coherence comments disappeared and Task 2 moved from 6.0 to 7.0.

Measurable drills

• 60-second article scan: Circle all articles in a 150-word paragraph. Delete any the before plural or uncountable nouns used generically. Target 100 percent correct in 2 passes.
• A or an sound test: Make a 12-item list of acronyms and nouns. Say them aloud and choose a or an by the first sound. Target zero errors.
• Institution test: Write 6 pairs with and without the: at school vs at the school, in hospital vs in the hospital. Explain the meaning difference under each.

Common mistakes

• Using the with general plurals or uncountables: the pollution is high. Prefer pollution is high or the level of pollution is high.
• Dropping the before a unique or identified noun: report shows. Prefer the report when both writer and reader know which one.
• Confusing a building with its function: at the university when you mean studying there. Use at university.
• Wrong a or an by spelling not sound: an university.
• Overusing some to introduce every plural. Use zero article for general statements.

Edge cases that catch advanced users

• Government, society, nature
  Generic abstractions often take zero article: government can be inefficient. Use the government for a specific one.
• The + singular generic
  Both the tiger and tigers can express generic reference. Stay consistent in a paragraph.
• Media and the internet
  Both forms occur. In formal writing prefer the media and the internet.
• Musical instruments
  BrE often prefers play the piano. AmE also allows play piano. Be consistent.

Tips and tricks

• If the noun has a limiter after it, you usually need the: the policy that targets renters.
• For definitions, use zero article with uncountable or plural: Education is the process of learning.
• When unsure between the and zero article for a generic, switch to plural: buses are cleaner than cars in dense cities.
• Put the article next to the head noun, not the first word: the number of students rose, not the students number.

To avoid

• Stacking articles with possessives: the my car.
• Using the to sound formal. It often bloats the sentence.
• Mixing generic forms in one sentence: the tiger is endangered and lions are apex predators. Align the pattern.
• Treating lists of proper names with the unless a category demands it.

Glossary

Article: small word that limits a noun, such as the, a, an.
Determiner: word that comes before a noun to show reference or quantity, such as this, some, many.
Generic reference: talking about a class as a whole, not a particular member.
Institutional use: zero article with places that you attend for their main function, such as at school.
Post-modifier: phrase or clause after a noun that identifies it, such as of X or that Y.
Head noun: the main noun in a noun phrase.

Next steps
Take a 200-word paragraph from your last essay. Mark every article and determiner. Apply the four decisions: known or new, specific or general, modifier present, and fixed expression or institution. Rewrite three sentences to fix overuse of the, and three to add the where a post-modifier requires it. Track article errors per 300 words for two weeks.

1. Actionable closing — Cheatsheet

Use the when

• The noun is known, unique, or identified by a post-modifier.
• Superlatives and ordinals appear: the best, the second reason.
• Geography needs it: the Nile, the Himalayas, the Netherlands.

Use a or an when

• You introduce something new or one of many.
• Choice depends on sound: a university, an NGO, an hour.

Use zero article when

• Making general statements with plural or uncountable nouns: cars, education.
• Using institutional or fixed expressions: at school, in hospital, by bus, have lunch.
• Naming most countries, languages, and meals: Bangladesh, English, dinner.

Quick tests

• Can you add a limiter after the noun. If yes, use the.
• Are you defining a class in general. Use zero article.
• Are you introducing one example among many. Use a or an.

Acronym sound guide

• Vowel sound start: an MBA, an NGO.
• Consonant sound start: a UNESCO report, a university.

Institution contrast

• at school student role
• at the school the building site

CTA: Print this cheatsheet. Edit one old paragraph now using the tests above. Remove three unnecessary the uses, add three essential the cases, and fix any a or an by sound. Recount article errors per 300 words tomorrow and aim to halve them within a week.